#8 – DO use plenty of repetition to create strong habits and
reliable responses. Repetition is the mother of skill.
#9 - DO train a rock-solid “sit down” command. his will
greatly aid all other training and control. And DON’T use “sit
down” to mean multiple things as so many handlers do. “Sit
down” shouldn’t mean “steady”, or “stop on your feet”, but
should mean “lie down and don’t move until told otherwise”.
If you want “steady”, then use “steady”. If you want “stop on
your feet”, then use “stop there” or something similar. Don’t
use one command to mean three or four diferent things, or
you will never end up with a well-trained dog.
#10 – DO train progressively. A 1000 metre cast starts at 10
metres, then 20, and so on. Obedience and control at a dis-
tance is the same – don’t think that because the dog obeys at
10 metres this will translate to 100 metres – it won’t, unless it
is progressively increased to that level.
#11 - In general, DON’T kept repeating a command when the
dog is already doing what you want – it is simply learning to
ignore you because it doesn’t change anything in response to
the command.
#12 - DO remember to praise the dog when it is doing what
you want “good dog”. his is particularly important when
teaching newer behaviours.
#13 - DO “overtrain”. By that, I mean if you want a dog to be
reliable obeying at 100m, then train it to be reliable at 200m. If
you want a dog to cast well at 400 metres, train it to cast
well to 800 metres.#14 - DON’T work more dogs at once than you really need.
More dogs generally means less control, and more bad hab-
its. One high-quality dog (see point #1), if well-trained and
wellhandled by a competent stockperson, can handle plenty of
stock on its own. For larger numbers, 2 good dogs should be
plenty for most stockwork provided they are in the right
position doing the right thing. Only rarely are more than that
required. It is usually the poorer handlers with poorer dogs
that insist on working 4 or more dogs at once. If you pay atten-
tion to breeding and training, this shouldn’t be you.#15 - DO use the minimum commands necessary to get the
job done to a high standard. his will allow the dog to use its
own initiative as much as possible, and will help to retain high
levels of control. Excess commanding tends to reduce obedi-
ence. However, DON’T use too few commands, and end up
with the job being done to a low standard. Remember, the dog
is there as an essential aid to managing livestock, and not the
other way around.Questions or comments? Feel free to email me at tully@
workingsheepdogtraining.com64 AWSDM http://www.stockdogs.com.au